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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Jonathan "Luke" Lucroy
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Home Phone: -- Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, September 15, 2015 Ex-Cajun Lucroy nominated for Clemente Award Former Ragin’ Cajun and current Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been named one of 30 club nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award, according to mlb.com. Fan voting to help determine the award winner begins Wednesday, which is also MLB’s “Roberto Clemente Day,†at ChevyBaseball.com. Jimmy Rollins, previously with the Philadelphia Phillies and now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Paul Konerko, who retired from the Chicago White Sox last season, shared the honor in 2014. According to mlb.com, “the award recognizes a player who best represents the game through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement,†and it is “an effort to pay tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others.†Each MLB team nominates one player. Clemente, a 12-time All-Star and Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer, died Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Lucroy played three seasons for UL from 2005 through 2007, helping the Cajuns to two NCAA Regional appearances in that span. The 2014 All-Star was selected by Milwaukee in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft. According to a release from Baird, a wealth management firm that honored Lucroy in May as its Wisconsin state Community Involved Player of the Year, the catcher is active with “Camp Hometown Heroes, which holds a week-long overnight summer camp for children of fallen U.S. service members, and he closely works with Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, a Wisconsin-based organization that flies veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials created in their honor.†Lucroy is hitting .259 with seven homers, 41 RBI and 50 runs scored this season, but has missed five straight games due to a mild concussion. He also spent time earlier this season on the disabled list with a broken toe. Lucroy also was nominated for the Clemente award in 2013. * * * * * * Extra bases Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • July 10, 2010 Former Cajun catcher Jonathan Lucroy recently got married. Lucroy, drafted in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007, started the season in Double-A Huntsville before being promoted to Triple-A Nashville and reaching the majors in May. Now Milwaukee’s everyday catcher, Lucroy is hitting .267 with two home runs and five RBIs in 23 games * * * * * * * * * * Interview dated Jan. 30, 2009 and posted on www.RaginCajuns.com The following is the complete transcript of an interview with Jonathan Lucroy, former Cajuns baseball standout. Lucroy was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 10th round in 2007, and recently earned an invitation to the Brewers’ Major League Spring Training camp. UL: Describe the timeline of your minor league experience so far. JL: I was drafted in 2007, and started in rookie ball in the Pioneer League in Montana and spent two and a half months up there. The Midwest is a great place to play. I got to experience Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, all of that. After that, I went to play in Hawaii for two months, in the Hawaii Winter League. That was a great experience. After that I came home for the offseason. This past year I went to spring training and got sent to West Virginia, which is Low-A, and I spent two and a half months there. I played in the Minor League All-Star Game, and right after that I was sent to the Florida State League, which is High-A, the next level up. I played there for another two and a half months, and here I am again, getting ready to get back to spring training. UL: How is life in the Minors with all that moving around? Do you ever really feel settled down anywhere? JL: Not really. When you live in four different places in a year, you pretty much live out of a suitcase. You�ve got to be ready for anything, ready to pick up and move when you�re told to. You�ve always got to be prepared for that, and mentally prepared, too. UL: Do you feel like the time you�ve spent in the Minors is helping you improve? JL: Yeah, for sure. I�ve played with so many guys just in my first two years of pro ball. You get to see a lot of different skill levels and a lot of different types of talent, and it is just amazing how much better those guys will make you. I played for two former big leaguers, they were both my coaches. When I go to spring training, I get big league instruction, from guys who played there. It�s very useful to have that kind of knowledge at your disposal. UL: How do you like the Milwaukee Brewers organization? JL: I really like the organization. As far as the first impression, as being the very first organization I have ever been with, it has been a very rewarding and very fun experience for me. UL: How does it feel to be invited to Major League Spring Training with the Brewers? JL: It�s a great feeling. I was hoping I could go this year. I know they always need catchers in the big league camps to catch bullpen, but I�m glad that they invited me. I�ll have the chance to go and learn from all the big league guys, and get that kind of experience under my belt so that I�ll know what to expect next year. UL: Are you doing anything differently than in the past in order to prepare? JL: No, I�m not doing anything differently, I�m doing the same thing I did last year. I�ve been preparing a little bit differently mentally, but physically I�m not, I�m still working hard like I did last year. Mentally, I�m trying to prepare myself to go up and handle catching and hitting against Major League pitching. I�m trying to react to that as positively as I can. It�s going to be very interesting in about a month. UL: How does the minor league experience compare to playing at UL? JL: Coach Robichaux always preaches being professional. He tells you to be mature, take care of your business. In college, there�s a lot more immaturity, there�s grade checks and all of that, and in pro ball they don�t care about any of that. All they care about is that you act professional, and don�t do anything stupid. Don�t get yourself in trouble. I learned a lot of that from Coach Robichaux when I was at UL. In the pros, you�re more on your own. You�ve got to be more responsible. UL: In your time at UL, did you pick up any of the Cajun culture? Have you taken any of it with you to the Minors? JL: I�ve taken a lot of what UL gave me, and a lot of what I learned in Louisiana with me. I feel like Lafayette is my second home, and I�ve got a lot of people there I consider my family. Whenever I go to Lafayette, I feel like I�m going home. UL: Run into any Cajun food on the road? JL: No, not yet. If I did, I�d be very skeptical, because I know what real Cajun is. UL: How do you think your career would have been different if you�d have gone to a different school? JL: Coming out of high school, I didn�t get recruited by anybody. None of the big schools in Florida ever contacted me. Coach Szefc saw me and called me, and I knew Buddy Glass had gone (to UL), so I visited. I liked it and committed to go there. Now, four years later, I�ve talked to some Division I coaches around Florida that say �man, how did you get out of the state?� And I don�t want to hear that. I went to baseball camps, and all that other stuff, and I got no attention whatsoever. So if I were to go back and do it all over again, I would do the exact same thing. I�m glad I went to UL because I got the exposure, and the experience, and I got to play under one of the best head coaches in the country. A lot of people take that for granted, they don�t realize how much of an opportunity it is for them to learn from coach Robichaux, coach Babineaux and now coach Trahan. I think players can do nothing but benefit from those coaches. I�m glad I went there, because I learned so much about being a man and being a professional from them. UL: Anything you�d like to tell all the Ragin� Cajuns baseball fans? JL: I�m very appreciative of the support and the generosity they�ve given me in my time there. Even though it was only three years, the time I spent there was worth more than a * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lucroy: Student Athlete Showcase Courtesy: RaginCajuns.com Lucroy’s Accolades What has been the most memorable moment of your collegiate career so far? I had five hits in one game my freshman season, and I hit a grand slam against Arkansas State in the conference tournament last year. Also, my first collegiate hit was a homerun. If you could do it all over again, would you still want to be a catcher? Yes because I love it too much to want to play any other position. What are your personal goals for the season? I want to hit at least .350 with more homeruns and RBI than I had last season. What is your goal for the team this season? I want us to win the Sun Belt Conference and make the NCAA tournament. What is the most difficult thing about playing baseball so far away from home? The only thing that is really hard about it is not being able to have my parents come to all of my games. What is your favorite thing about playing baseball? I love the competitive aspect of baseball, and I have a lot of fun playing it. Who is your favorite major league hitter? Albert Pujols because I love his approach to the plate and his ability to hit for both power and average. What is your pre-game ritual? I eat a protein bar and sit in my locker and listen to my iPOD before every game. I like to be pumped up before I go out there. Do you have any superstitions? All baseball players have superstitions but talking about them is one of mine. Would you rather be on American Idol or Dancing With the Stars and why? I would rather be on American Idol because I have bad knees from catching. I can�t pull an Emmit Smith. What TV show can you not miss? Grey�s Anatomy because my girlfriend makes me watch it. Besides it makes great water cooler talk. What CD is in your car right now? Breaking Benjamin What is your favorite thing about Lafayette? The culture in Lafayette is so much different from where I live back in Central Florida. I love the people here and the food is really great. 2006: Named to Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team…Caught for the nation�s 24th ranked pitching staff…Third on the team with a .333 batting average…Recorded 77 hits on the season with 36 extra-base hits � 12 homeruns, four triples, 20 doubles…Led team with 68 RBI, which ranked 44th in the NCAA…Second on the team with 50 runs scored… Paced the Cajuns with 12 homeruns, including two grand slams…Led the team with 20 doubles…Led UL with a .610 slugging percentage and 141 total bases…Led team with 26 multiple hit games and 20 multiple RBI games…Had a season high four hits in a 4-for-5 performance against South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament…Had a season high six RBI against Arkansas State in the SBC Tournament, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a grand slam. 2005: Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American…Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference… Played in 54 games with 42 starts…Had a team leading .379 batting average…Recorded 69 hits in his freshman campaign, including 15 doubles and 5 homeruns…Registered 33 runs with 48 RBI…Drew 19 walks while striking out 17 times…Started 21-of-22 conference games he played in…Batted .356 against Sun Belt Conference pitching…Had 32 hits, including six doubles and two homeruns in SBC games…Drove in 18 runs and scored 15 runs in conference play. High School: Was a four-year letterwinner for head coaches Don Semento and Terry Nuzum at Umatilla HS…Named honorable mention All-State as a freshman, second team All-Area as a sophomore and first team All-Area, second team All-Central Florida and first team All-State as a junior…Led Bulldogs with a .450 batting average and 10 home runs as a senior…Holds Umatilla HS record with 22 home runs. Personal: Full name is Jonathan Charles Lucroy…Born on June 13, 1986, in Eustis, Fla….Son of Steven and Karen Lucroy…Has two younger brothers, Matthew and David…Majoring in Environmental Resources and Community Sustainability. Lucroy honored April 26, 2006 – Originally published April 26, 2006 Lucroy seeks encore campaign February 08, 2006 – Jonathan Lucroy remembers well his first collegiate at-bat. “They (Tech) had a soft-throwing lefthander in there, which I love,” said Lucroy, who had been projected as one of the squad’s new offensive forces. “As soon as I get in the (on-deck) circle, here comes a submarining right-hander.” His first contact as a collegiate hitter nubbed off the bat and went about four feet, with the catcher throwing him out to end the inning. And how. Lucroy became the Ragin’ Cajuns’ regular designated hitter less than one-third of the way into the season, turned into UL’s most consistent hitter and finished his freshman season on Louisville Slugger’s Freshman All-America team. “We all knew he could hit,” said Cajun head coach Tony Robichaux. “The big thing was that he didn’t have to jump right in there and catch. Having to catch as a freshman is a tough thing, probably tougher than having to pitch as a freshman because you’re handing 12 or 15 people.” The Cajuns had veterans in Justin Morgan and Adam Massiatte behind the plate last season, freeing up Lucroy for DH duties. “His legs didn’t get worn down as a hitter,” Robichaux said. “He wasn’t as banged up and bruised as a DH as if he was catching every day.” All that changes Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when the Cajuns open their 2006 season against UL Monroe. He figures to get most of the time behind the plate along with junior multi-position performer Jefferies Tatford, since the squad’s other catchers are first-timers Blaine LaFleur and Scott Hawkins, who is in rehabilitation after off-season arm surgery. “There’s definitely more pressure on me this year,” Lucroy said. “There’s a lot of people depending on me and expecting big things, and I know I’ve got to split time working on what I’m doing and concentrating on a lot of things.” Lucroy hit a team-high .379 last year and was second-team All-Sun Belt Conference DH, striking out only 17 times all season and playing errorless in his seven catching starts – none of which came in conference play. “He has good catching ability,” Robichaux said. “The challenges will be the wear and tear day in and day out. He needs to continue to progress in game management, being able to hold runners and call a good game. He definitely has a lot more on his plate. It’ll be a challenge for him.” Tatford (.336) split time between DH and first base last season, but some pro scouts have eyed his catching abilities ever since his prep career at St. Thomas More. “He’s going to do some catching this year, especially since Hawkins is still rehabbing,” Robichaux said. “We can’t run Lucroy into the dirt so that we don’t have his value as a hitter.” It’s probably good that UL’s full catching changeover comes at a time when the pitching staff is equally young. “I’m definitely learning along with them, ” Lucroy said. “I have to accelerate my learning process since I don’t know a lot more than the new guys do.” Originally published February 8, 2006 Freshman Lucroy makes most of chance Dan McDonald When Tony Robichaux cleared his University of Louisiana baseball bench Sunday, starting a mostly-reserve lineup and throwing nine different pitchers against Texas-Pan American, the Cajuns’ head coach talked about how good it was for his team. Jonathan Lucroy could appreciate that. For most of the first month of this season, he was one of those guys … sitting patiently, waiting for a chance, any opportunity to get playing time. He was a happy guy after the Cajuns’ 5-3 Sunday win. “That was huge for us,” Lucroy said. “Those guys that hadn’t gotten a lot of time came out and did a great job. It’s tough to come in after sitting for that long.” Of course, it didn’t hurt Lucroy’s spirits that he went four-for-four at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBIs, including the two game-winners in the seventh inning. And in a rare start at catcher, the freshman from Umatilla, Fla., picked off one base runner and didn’t allow a steal, a wild pitch or a passed ball while handling eight of the nine pitchers. “He’s been doing that all year for us at the plate,” Robichaux said. “He’s just a pure hitter, and Sunday he got a big hit in a key spot.” Lucroy had been turning heads of the squad and staff with his offensive performances in the fall and early spring, but he had to work his way into a veteran lineup. He finally got a couple of starts during the Cajuns’ title run in the First Hawai’i Rainbow Tournament, but he didn’t show his true offensive abilities until a start against Lamar in late March. In that Moore Field game, Lucroy homered in his first at-bat to give UL a 1-0 lead. His sacrifice fly one inning later made it 5-0, and he added a bases-clearing double and an RBI single in a nine-run sixth inning. “I watched him in high school and I saw what kind of hitter he was,” said Cajun assistant Anthony Babineaux. “He makes solid contact, and the best thing is that he uses the whole field but still can hit with power.” Lamar got a little revenge on Tuesday when Lucroy went 0-for-4, but even with that game he’s hitting .435 with nine RBIs in the Cajuns’ last six games. For the season, he’s third on the team in hitting at .364 in 23 games (13 starts), and his .655 slugging percentage is far and away the squad’s best. “I’ve had some good games,” Lucroy said, “but I still need to be more consistent. At Arkansas State I was 2-for-11, and I need to do better than that in a conference series.” The staff thinks highly enough of his consistency, though, that he’s started in the cleanup spot in the lineup in each of the Cajuns’ last five games. Perhaps the biggest reason for that is, even with his slugging numbers, he’s only struck out five times in 55 at-bats this year, an average of once every 11 at-bats. As a team, UL is striking out once in every 5.3 at-bats, and Sun Belt Conference hitters as a group strike out once every 5.2 at-bats. “Ideally, you don’t want a freshman hitting number four because you want experience there,” Robichaux said. “But he’s proven himself, and some of our other guys have to catch up with him now.” Catching is something Lucroy hasn’t done a lot of this year, with a pair of veterans in Justin Morgan and Adam Massiatte returning from last season. He’s started three times behind the plate (UL is 3-0 in those games), and has handled 20 chances without an error and with one passed ball while throwing out the only base-stealer he’s faced. But Sunday was a challenge with the pitcher-an-inning rotation. He caught five righthanders and three southpaws one inning each in that victory. “That was pretty hard, seeing someone different every inning,” Lucroy said. “But Justin and Adam were calling the pitches, and I’d caught all those guys a lot in the pen and in the fall. I just had to make some adjustments, and they all did a good job. “That’s the first time I’d ever been a part of a game like that, but we’re good enough defensively to handle that.” Originally published April 15, 2005 Lucroy Named to Louisville Slugger’s Freshmen Wednesday, June 8, 2005 LUCROY, ARDOIN NAMED SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAYER, PITCHER OF THE WEEK April 18, 2005 – Chris Yandle, Sports Information Louisiana-Lafayette entered Baseball America Top 25 Poll for first time LAFAYETTE-Freshman designated hitter Jonathan Lucroy and senior Lucroy, a native of Umatilla, Fla., became the second Cajuns player this Earlier this season, senior Justin Morgan went 5-for-5 with four RBI in Ardoin received the conference’s weekly honor for the second time this For the first time in five weeks, Louisiana-Lafayette (32-7, 7-2 Sun Louisiana-Lafayette was last ranked in the Baseball America Top 25 Poll Louisiana-Lafayette, winners of nine of its last 10 games, swept a Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns return to action on Wednesday when they travel
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